After
by FlowerKatniss
Summary: Katniss' life after the war. - "Do you love me, real or not real," I tell him, "Real" - My first fan fiction :)
1. Chapter 1

**I Don't own The Hunger Games in any way, this is just a fanfiction (: All rights to Suzanne Collins,**

**_Chapter 1: Nightmares._**

_"You love me, real or not real,"_

_I tell him, "Real,"_

My head rests on his shoulder, I can't really explain my feelings, but I feel like saying "real" isn't enough, I turn to face him, his eyes are looking into mine, he opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, I place my lips on his, I pull away from him,

"I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Okay," He says,

I walk out the door with a faint smile on my face; maybe I'll be lucky and have no nightmares tonight.

* * *

I wake up, it's probably too early in the morning for me to be up, but the nightmares don't ever stop, ever since the war finished; all of my memories are relived every night. I'm at my breaking point. I look out the window to see it's still quite dark; no lights are on at any other home. I'm alone. I slip into my old hunting boots, as they are the only shoes near me, I open the door, go downstairs and make my way outside. I climb a nearby tree and just sit there for a while, frozen. Everything is on my mind right now. I hear echoes of people yelling, screaming for help, the screams get overwhelming. I start climbing down and making my way towards my house, but before I even reach my front door when I feel a flood of tears down my face, I break down screaming and sobbing and almost instantly, Peeta's house lights up, I know I have just awoken him from his sleep, and he's probably making his way to my spot now, I look up, tears making my vision blurry, I can make out somebody walking towards me.

"Katniss?" He says. I instantly recognize that is Peeta's worried voice. I look down and go through the thoughts that have been coursing through my head days on end. All I can think about now is that Peeta is here now and I need to talk to him.

"Katniss?" He repeats as he crouches by me, I'm hopelessly lying on the front porch in a pool of my own tears. He rubs my back in circular motions; I cannot bring myself to talk even though I must speak with him.

"Peeta." I choke. Then I continue to sob. Peeta shakes his head, picks me up and walks me into my house. He takes me up to my room, I'm still sobbing. But I feel safer knowing that Peeta has come to help. He lays me down on my bed. And kneels beside it.

"Katniss? Are you ok? What happened?"

I finally have enough time to say something, before I start sobbing again.

"The nightmares. They just get worse and worse each night." I curl over making those horrible choking sounds I make when I sob.

"They never stop do they..." He says sympathetically, like he knows how it feels. He does know, I'm not the only one who gets the nightmares around here, It's the fact that Peeta cares about me so much he's willing to come over in the middle of the night to come help me. The boy with the bread,

"No. They don't, but how are you holding up" I sniffle.

"Alright, better than last week for sure," he says,

I chuckle a little.

"Yeah… If only for one night they'd just stop. It's embarrassing you found me on my porch sobbing to death. But I'm also happy you came." I smile a little. I still don't notice the flood of tears that are still streaming down my face. He laughs a little at my statement, and cups both of his warm ands in my face, stroking it, making sure no tears fall down,

"It's alright, I'm always happy to help you, I do care about you y'know."

I look down and smile a little.

"I know."

He kisses me softly,

"Are you feeling any better now?"

"Yeah, thank you for coming,"

"No problem Katniss."

He starts walking towards the door,

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Peeta says,

"Yes, goodnight Peeta." I smile as he exits my room.

I wake up in the morning, from a more pleasant sleep; ever since Peeta came to visit me I had no nightmares. I feel groggy since my tears have dried on my face from last night, my first thought is to take a shower, and I do so. I feel much better once I'm under the water, washing my face. After I get out of the shower, I put on some clean clothes and braid my hair into my traditional side braid. I go downstairs and collect my game bag, I decide to go hunting today. I open the front door to find a small basket on my doorstep.

"What's this?" I murmur.

Under the small towel there are a few loaves of freshly made bread. And a little note attached to the basket. I read it aloud to myself.

"Hey Katniss, hope your feeling better soon, come by any time you need me. – Peeta"

"Thank you Peeta. Bread always seems to save me." I put down my game bag, and pick up the basket, "In my case, you saved me from hunting today." I chuckle.

"I'll never forget that day." I look over to Peeta's house. I find my hunting boots just by my door, neatly lined up I slip them on. He must have taken them off my feet when he carried me inside last night. My hands find my head. My heart warms up. Before I know it I'm running towards Peeta's house. There are many thoughts coursing through my mind. Something makes me stop dead in my tracks, A primrose flower. I kneel down beside it.

"Prim." I say under my breath. "Prim.." I say again. Realization hits me once again.

"Your dead."

I miss her terribly. Tears start running down my face again, but I quickly try to get a hold of myself, before I start having an unstoppable sobbing fit again. I get up, I stop looking at the flower, and it pains me too much to see it. I continue walking until I stumble upon Haymitch, with his horrible alcoholic stench and that same silver flask he carries with him everyday.

"Whoa. Where you going sweetheart." He says. I look at him with disgust,

"What do you want, Haymitch."

"Wow. Feisty in the mornings aren't you?" He takes a swig from his flask.

"Shut up Haymitch." I say with a slight whimper.

"You've been crying sweetheart?" He picks up on my whimper and my still puffy eyes.

"Yeah, how nice of you to notice." I say with sarcasm.

"Your welcome, now if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go. See you around, _sweetheart_" Haymitch stumbles off. I give a slight huff, I keep walking towards Peeta's house, when the door swishes open, I see Peeta, covered in flour, its obvious he was baking this morning, because he had dropped off some bread to me this morning.

"Hey Katniss!" He yells over the yard.

"Hey, thanks for the bread" I yell in return. Still walking towards his house.

"No problem, I thought it might cheer you up." I walk a little closer, his expression changes into a little frown.

"Katniss, are you ok? You look like you've been crying.." Peeta says.

"Tell me something I don't know." I huff. I feel strange now. I almost feel lightheaded. I can see Peeta's expression change into a more worried one. Then I realize I'm falling backwards. I hit the grass with a loud thud. Peeta is crouched above me now. Saying my name over and over again.

Then I black out.

I wake up to the smell of baking, my eyes flutter open, and I'm in Peeta's home. He must be baking again. I'm on a couch; in a blanket my vision is hazy,

"What just happened?" I say under my breath. Peeta comes walking in with a glass of water.

"Katniss!" he says, as he scurries over to me. "Your awake!"

"Yeah. I am. " I pause for a bit. "What happened?" I look at him with a puzzled face. He frowns. "I don't know, you just looked really dizzy, and you fell."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few hours…"

I look across to the clock above his front door,

"It's nearly five in the afternoon Peeta! Oh my god."

"I didn't want to wake you, you had fainted you know."

"You looked after me for over five hours?" I look at him.

"Yes…?"

I can tell by the sweat I have on my face, I have been thrashing about in my sleep. My mouth tastes of blood, I must have been biting the insides of my cheeks as well. I feel awful.

"Are you feeling any better? I got some water for you.."

"Oh, yes, I am, thanks for the water." I thank him.

"Just call me if you need some other things. Haymitch should be coming over soon-"

"Oh god. Last thing I need right now is Haymitch."

"Would you like me to cancel it he can pick the bread up later-?"

"No, no. It's fine, Peeta." I laugh. I sit up on the couch, I take a sip from the water Peeta had got me, and it was ice cold. My stomach grumbles, Peeta laughs that light chuckle I know so well.

"Well, I know what I'm going to go do now."

"Your just in time, I just made some bread." Peeta says as he takes my hand and leads me to his kitchen. He has me sit down on the chair at the bench. He goes over to the oven to find two fresh hot loaves of bread; he takes one of them and puts it on the chopping board. He slices the first slice of bread, puts it on a small plate and hands it to me,

"Thanks Peeta" I say as I pick up the bread, I smell it and it brings back the memories of the first time I met Peeta, It smells divine, divine enough for my mouth to flood with saliva. I take the first bite of the bread. I instantly recognize the taste of the bread. It's the same flavor as the bread Peeta threw to me that day.

"You know our first Games. When I said I thought about the bread all the time, Katniss." Peeta states.

"Yes. I remember that."

"I still think about it now." Peeta pauses "Even after the war."

I'm surprised at how well Peeta's memory is, ever since the Capitol took him, he hasn't remembered a lot from the first Games. Then again, he did get shown multiple tapes from our first Games.

"Your memory is getting better," I say.

"Yeah. I guess so." He says. There's a long pause before I speak up again.

"I'm sorry about last night-"

"Katniss." He says, "It's fine, stop worrying."

"I was just making sure… I feel like I woke up the whole neighborhood… It was sort of embarrassing." I chuckle.

"From what I know, Haymitch was dead to the world, or still up drinking and couldn't be bothered helping you. But I think I was the only one who woke up. So it's fine."

"That sounds like Haymitch." I snort.

"What sounds like me?" Haymitch enters the room, with that same, foul stench.

"Oh, so nice of you to join us Haymitch." I snipe.

Haymitch makes a rude gesture at me. I return the favor without hesitation.

"So. Haymitch. What was your order again?" Peeta cuts in. Trying to change the subject.

"I don't know, anything that's good with alcohol." Haymitch snorts. Probably too drunk to remember what his order was. Peeta walks over to his cupboard. It has piles and piles of fresh bread inside. He picks a loaf and gives it to Haymitch; Haymitch puts a few coins on the bench,

"Thanks, Peeta." He says as he takes a swig from his bottle and walks out the door clumsily. Peeta sighs and walks over to close the cupboard.

"Wow. Haymitch is always drunk."

"Your telling me, it disgusts me." I spit. "I think I should go head back. It's getting a little late."

"Yeah, sure." Peeta says, "I'll see you tomorrow." He smiles.

"Thanks, and thanks for the bread, again"

"No problem at all."

I start walking out the door, "Bye." I say once more before I shut the door.

As soon as I walk out the door, I realize how well District 12 is rebuilding after the war; it ended a few months ago. The square is starting to look the same, and most of the houses are well rebuilt. District 12 is no longer a pile of forgotten families and lives. District 12 has built a memorial for those lives that were lost when the Capitol destroyed us. But there is still a ghostly feel towards District 12. My mother no longer lives in District 12, she lives in District 4, she works in the hospital there. As for Gale, He's moved down to District 2, with who knows how many girls by him. Thoughts pass by in my head. I wonder how Prim is, somewhere far off, in a safe place.. I stumble upon that primrose once again, I hold back my tears and pick the flower. I hold it in my hand close to my chest. I feel as though she is right there. In my hands, I continue walking; I get to my front door and pick up my game bag that I had left on the floor this morning. I hang it up on the hook close by my door, then take off my hunting boots, and pick up the basket of bread I hadn't put in the cupboard yet. The primrose still grasped in my hand, I take a glass out of one of the lower cupboards below the sink. I fill it with water and place the rose in the glass, on the windowsill. I smile at the sight of the flower against the sunset. I look out the window for a moment, watching the sunset over District 12. I can't believe what has happened in the course of three months. The sunset is absolutely stunning, the different shades of orange and pink lick the clouds coursed over the sky, creating a golden display that I have missed. I remember watching the occasional sunset with Gale. I remember when he called me his best friend all those years ago. Yet he leaves me after just three months, I suspect he had something to do with Prim's bomb. When I think about it, hatred grows between Gale and I. I just don't believe there is a possibility that he could have killed my sister. I shake my head and leave the windowsill, I make my way to the door check whether it's locked, then I head upstairs and get into my sleeping clothes. I take out my braid, which leaves my hair flowing down my back; wavy from the way the braid stayed in my hair all day. I sit down on my bed, I whisper to myself.

"Please, can I have one night, one night? With out any nightmares."

I lie down on my bed, lean over and shut the lights off.

"One night?"

* * *

**Ahhh, I had to fix it. I made some mistakes in it before haha. Leave a review, was it ok for a first chapter? Thanks for your input! more chapters coming soon! :)x**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2: Rebuild._**

I wake up in the morning; I had been lucky to go one night without the nightmares. I get out of bed and take a shower; it feels great to be able to have a hot shower in the morning nowadays. It clears my mind and makes me feel refreshed for the day. I remember I could only have a bath every once and a while, for special occasions. Any other time it would be freezing cold water. That was back when we were under the Capitol's rule, when the Capitol fell, it did not truly fall, what fell was the law of the Games. Some how I think there should be a better way for all those tributes to be remembered. I wonder if we could set a memorial up for all those tributes' lives that were lost to the Games. That way they could be remembered forever, and that President Snow, was the worst man alive, he may of brought peace to the Capitol, be he never thought about the people in the Districts, not one bit. He took the lives of many innocent children, such as Rue and many other 12 year olds. It's horrible to think that President Snow has killed twelve year olds. Its unbearable to think this, when I think of this it makes me so mad I almost scream in disgust. But I am glad I have killed him, I am glad I ended the games. I am glad I was the Mockingjay. I have saved the lives of future generations to come; I thought I would never have children in this world. But now I can remember, the Capitol will not take my children, they will not kill my children, and they will never start the Hunger Games ever again, if I ever have children. I know that they will be safe. Today I have volunteered to rebuild District 12, so after I get out of the shower, I get into some of my older clothes that I am happy to get sweaty in. I put on some of my old shoes too, but not my hunting boots. I braid my hair again whilst walking down the stairs, and then make my way towards the kitchen for breakfast. I just grab some of the bread that Peeta had made for me the previous day and head out the door, shutting it on my way out, I look back through my window, to see the primrose is sitting happily there as the sun makes its way to where it sits everyday. It seems like it's going to be a spectacular day, on my way, I can see Haymitch has passed out on his porch. I roll my eyes and head over towards his house.

"Haymitch" I yell. I hear a strange sound come from him, a mix between mumbling and snores; I walk over to the side of his house, to find a tap. I turn the tap on to let the water run, I fill my hands with water and walk over to Haymitch and splash it in his face, Haymitch lets out a growl and looks straight at me,

"What?" I say, "You were on the porch, seriously Haymitch, you have to cut back on the drinking"

"Remember all those times you didn't listen to me?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah I'm not listening, Mockingjay."

I let out a grunt, Haymitch chuckles, I leave him on the porch and I continue walking towards the square where all the volunteers meet up. I see a girl with light red hair with bright blue eyes. She looks a bit older than me, but she's holding a first aid kit, she must be the nurse who just moved in from District 4, she looks lost; maybe she's trying to find the hospital in District 12. I know where it is. I walk over to her spot,

"Hey, Do you know where the hospital is? " She asks.

Being up close to her, I find she's kind of familiar. I cannot quite put my finger on it, I say without question,

"I know you from somewhere…" She looks at me rather confused, then her expression changes, as she looks me in the face.

"You're Katniss Everdeen.. You're the Mockingjay… I can't believe-"

"I defiantly know you." _where is she from?_

Her expression changes again.

"I think I know you.."

"Um. You must have me mistaken. So do you know where the hos-"

"Hunger Games." I say.

"Wh- what? I don't know what your-"

Realization hits my expression. She's the victor of the 71st Hunger Games.

"You're the girl who won that year… You were the victor almost 4 years ago." I pause, "Your name is Theria Whitelock,"

Her eyes sink downwards until they were staring into the remaining ashes of District 12.

"Yes… that's me, I am Theria…" Her eyes swell up, I've triggered some sort of paranoia that she has been trying to forget. _How stupid could I be, she is obviously going through the same pain as I am going through._

"Are you feeling ok?" I say to her, I think it's the dumbest thing I have ever said. _It is most defiantly not ok._

"Yeah.. I'm fine, just memories of some things are coming back to me." She sniffs.

"The Games. Am I right?"

"Yes. You are correct, I understand you are still recovering from the trauma you have endured these past couple years.."

"Yes. Although much recovering hasn't been done, Peeta still has his horrible flashbacks and I still have my nightmares that keep me awake all night.." I pause. Theria speaks up again, "So you know where the hospital is?"

"Oh yes, absolutely, It's not really a hospital, its more of a clinic, since we are still rebuilding"

"Oh I see." I lead Theria off into the direction the clinic. We are halfway there but Theria starts hyperventilating, after seeing another victor she must be having a flashback, I have brought back her memories. I take hold of her shoulder and move quicker towards the clinic. Tears start streaming down her face once we get to the door.

"Shh, shh, we will be inside soon," I try to comfort her. I twist the doorknob and open the door, her hands find one of the waiting room chairs and she plunks down on the chair.

"Ariadath." She whimpers under her breath. I know that is the tribute she had to face in the final showdown. Ariadath killed the boy from her District in the Games. I quite faintly remember, but Ariadath was a vicious Career from District 1. She had been trained her whole life, as did Cato, Clove and the others. Theria reminds me a lot about Annie. She seems so innocent yet she was forced to go to the Games. Theria speaks again.

"Ariadath was monstrous. I wouldn't of won if she lost her last spear down that cliff." I remember quite clearly that she had to pin her down and cut her throat open with the survival knife she had gotten at the Cornucopia, which was all she managed to get. But I've seen how vicious she can get; she _had_ to end it there.

"I remember watching you on the screen, you looked horrified." _Really Katniss? I'm horrible at comforting people._

"When I killed Ariadath, I had the flashback of her killing the boy from my District, that boy was a very close friend of mine, Ariadath took his life. There was not much else I could do, but kill her. If I were ever going to return to my family… The arena was very different to the last one… It was a flat out jungle, water was scarce, and there was only one lake that I can recall of. Sleeping was impossible, so many noises of intimidating animals and mutts on every corner, nowhere were safe." She murmurs. I sit there shocked of all the detail she can remember of the arena. She speaks again. "When I saw you in the arena, I knew you were something special. I knew that there would someday be a savior. And that was you, Katniss." I am even more shocked. I never knew the effect I could have on people. I gave people hope. Peeta was right; I don't know what effect I have on people.

"You, Katniss, You're the reason why children will not have to die anymore, you have given hope to all those around you, people can now live because of you"

Tears begin to well up in my eyes, I hold them back though the gratitude in this girl is overwhelming.

"I remember when Ariadath lodged that spear right into the boy's head, I watched it happen. I saw him fall to his knees. That day I knew I had to kill Ariadath." She pauses. "I hope to see you soon, Mockingjay."

"Thank you." I say,

"No, thank you."

I smile then I walk out the door and shut the door gently, I must go to the square now, I must be late for the meeting. I start running towards the square, I hear multiple peeps of my name around the District, and they see that I'm running, _again. _I make it to the square when I hear a man say, "Katniss, about time."

I reply, "Yes. Sorry, I was running a bit late." I give a slight huff. Not long after, I'm hauling a huge bag of gravel for the paths. This is no job for me; I'm not very good when it comes to weightlifting. Peeta would be more suitable for this job, but I shrug it off and keep working, because I know that I'm helping rebuild my home, so I'd rather do as much work as I can to rebuild this place along with the others. I look over my shoulder to find Theria scurrying over towards a man that looks like he collapsed. The heat of the day must have got to him. Theria puts a cloth over his head, I assume its damp. I place the gravel bag with the other pile I have stacked on the other side of town. I start walking back to the square to receive some more work. I reach the square and the man gives me the directions to the edge of town, I must go and retrieve some wood for the new structures of the houses and buildings, I start walking towards the area where the wood is kept. More weightlifting.

* * *

I haul the wood onto my back and walk back, I give the man the wood and he calls me off for the day, he thinks I had done enough, I take the offer and make my way back home, by the look of the sky, it looks like its four in the afternoon. The others are still working; I wonder why the man called me off early, I shrug it off and continue my walk home, primroses seem to be in season right now, they are everywhere around the place, I smile at the sight of the flowers. I shed a few tears but not of sadness, but of happiness, Prim can be a special part in me, and she can be a special part of nature. I see Peeta's home now, I think I should go pay him a visit today, I mount the stairs to Peeta's door and knock, there is no response, I open the door and peer around the corner I find Peeta clenching on a chair with white knuckles, sweat rolling down his cheeks,

"Peeta?" I say hesitantly, no response,

"Peeta?" I say again, rushing over to his left side, I am about to place my hand on his shoulder when he knocks my hand out of the way,

"You're the mutt!" He yells.

He's having another flashback. _I knew it._

"No Peeta, you're having a flashback again, you're-"

"You're the mutt!" he shoves me back, "Get away from me!" _oh my god, this is worse than last time._

"Peeta," I gasp.

"You are the reason why thousands died!" He yells, he pushes me back a second time and I fall to the ground, he starts kicking me, I know it will leave plenty of bruises,

"Peeta!" I shriek, "You're having another flashback! Snap out of it!" I whimper, his foot meets my face and my nose begins to bleed, that's when I know he comes back to reality. His face is shocked; he looks over me within seconds his eyes being to fill up with water, "Peeta?" I gasp.

"What have I done?" Peeta kneels beside me and pulls me into his chest.

"I'm so sorry." He cries, his head is rested on my shoulder.

"Shh, shh. I'm fine," I say.

"No you're not, you're bleeding."

"I've been in worse situations Peeta, you know that." I pull away, wiping the blood from my face,

"I'm so sorry… I jus-"

"Shh. I'm fine," I reassure him by pulling him in for another hug, we stay there for about five minutes then I pull away and place a kiss on his forehead. "I'm fine," I whisper, I see tears building up in his eyes again, I place my hand on the side of his cheek and wipe them away with my thumb, I look straight into his deep blue eyes, he is hurt, somehow we need to get his flashbacks under control, it's only rarely they get out of control like that, I'm the only one who can seem to calm him down, even though I'm the one who triggers it all. "I think you need some fresh air," I suggest to him, he nods and I take him outside. I bring my game bag just in case I do some hunting, then I take his hand and lead him to the fence; we go under it and head out into the woods. As soon as we are on the other side, I start running, Peeta's had still grasps mine, when we reach the tree where my bow an quiver is, I can't help but take them out, Peeta smirks at me,

"What?" I say,

You and your bow and arrows," Peeta smiles, "Yes me and my bows and arrows" I say, within minutes I have shot two squirrels, I go to retrieve them both then I put them in the game bag. I take Peeta to the lake my father used to take me to,

"Wow, this place is amazing," He says,

the waters were always deep blue, even if it was rainy, I go down to the bank of the lake and cup some water into my hands and clean my face, My hands are slightly shaky from the assault before, he notices this and maneuvers to my side and sits down,

"Are you feeling ok? He asks,

"Yes, I'm fine. Just. Fine." I say,

My eyes swell up, will Peeta ever recover from is hijacking? He lifts my chin up so his eyes meet mine. Then I look around his face, I see the scars quite clearly now. They are the whip marks, I pull him in for another hug, I just can't help myself, he is just so vulnerable sometimes, he may look like he's strong, and can handle anything, but there is softness inside of him, that can be harmed quite easily, no wonder the Capitol could crack him so quickly, Peeta reminds me of bread, ironic really, the outer crust of the bread appears to be sturdy, but on the inside, it is soft and malleable, easy to twist and turn into dark ways. This is what has happened to Peeta. I need to do something about this, I cannot bear to just do nothing, I must act on his behalf, I cannot lose the boy with the bread, and I wont let him escape me anymore.

"You'll be alright, I promise you."

We keep hugging and the sun begins to set. The pink light reflects off of the lake, creating nature's masterpiece, I am happy to be here with him, I feel like am starting to find the missing puzzle pieces of my life, I have found my first piece. This is the moment that I want to freeze forever. But I know we can't stay here long, in the woods before dark is unsafe,

"We better get going, Peeta, It's a good idea not to get ripped to shreds by the animals that hunt at dusk."

"Good idea," He says, I take his hand and take him to the fence, we get into District 12 by the time the sun is almost out of sight, there are still people waking around though, I can hear the occasional talk from the people, murmuring about us, things like "Is this real?" "Or is this fake?" _I'm sorry, what's fake?_ They are probably referring to me being with Peeta, I don't know what this is, but they are making assumptions on relationships already? I'm shocked; I feel a sharp pain on my side,

"I think I need to go see Theria," I say,

"Who is Theria?" he says,

"Theria is the new nurse here, she was also the 71st victor of the Hunger Games,"

"Theria Whitelock?"

"Yes,"

"Wow, but sure. I can take you to the clinic,"

"Thank-you."

Once we get outside of the clinic I place a kiss on his forehead,

"I'll come by your house before I go home," I say to him,

"Okay," hey says, he walks down the steps and looks back I smile and wave to him, he waves back, I turn around and open the door to the clinic,

"Theria?"

I hear some light footsteps coming from down the hall, and then she appears from around the corner,

"Hello Katniss, Is there anything you need?"

"Well, I just need someone to talk to," I say,

"You can trust me with anything, Katniss" she says,

"Peeta is having his flashbacks, and well, today his one was particularly bad," I life up the side of my shirt to show Theria the bruising on my sides,

"Oh wow, are you ok?" She examines the bruises further, "Some of these are blood bruises." She says in shock,

"Oh so that's why they are slightly more painful than normal," I chuckle.

"You should of come to me sooner," Theria says, "Here I'll go get some bruising cream," Theria scurries off to one of her cabinets I stay put, she comes back with a small bottle of cream, she scoops some onto her finger and rubs it generously on my bruises, I jump a little to how cold the cream is,

"Maybe I should have told you it was going to be cold," She laughs,

"It's fine, anything to take away the pain is fine," I say lightly,

"Now about Peeta's flashbacks, how often to they occur?" Theria asks,

"Well, they usually happen once a month, but its picking up to maybe once every few weeks, "

"Ok, could you get him to see me tomorrow? If that isn't much of a fuss,"

"sure, do you have an idea?"

"Yes, although it's a bit hard to explain, when you come back tomorrow I'll explain to both of you,"

I nod, "Thank you so much," I say, I go in for a hug, she doesn't protest, I pull away from her,

"See you tomorrow Theria,"

"Ok, see you."

I leave the clinic and walk to Peeta's house, as I promised, It's a cold night tonight, There will be nightmares, I remember when me and Peeta used to sleep together, He always calmed be down when I had a nightmare, I think about this some more, But before I can think anymore, I'm at Peeta's door, I open the door. He's sitting on the couch in the quiet; his eyes light up when I come into the room,

"Hey Katniss," He says,

"Hey," I sit on the couch next to him,

"So what did you need to do over there?"

"Well, Theria may have an idea on how to stop your flashbacks, or at least get them under control,"

"That's great," Peeta pauses, "I'm sorry about today,"

"When are you going to stop saying sorry, I told you, it's fine,"

"I know, but I do worry, and I can,"

I smile softly, I rest my head on his shoulder and lift my legs onto the couch, Peeta starts stroking my hair, and I sling my arms around him. We sit in silence for a moment until the phone rings, I sit up.

"I'll get it," Peeta says, as he gets up and grasps the phone and holds it to his ear,

"Yes…. Ok, wait… what?"

I can hear the muffled voice coming from the phone; it is defiantly a man on the phone, "Right, thanks for calling," he hangs up the phone,

"Who was that?" I ask,

"Oh, it was a man from the council, saying he had just engraved my family's names onto the memorial."

"Oh, I see" I say, I don't know what to say, he has lost his whole family, _It must be hard._

"How are you coping, with it…?" I ask hesitantly,

"I'm fine, it can be hard," Peeta pauses, "but at least I have you,"

My eyes widen, but I'm not surprised, He did tell me I was his whole life in the Quarter Quell, and he would have no life back here without me,

"You're all that I really need, I'd be lost without you," He trails off,

The words hang in the air, swirling around my mind, I have to add an ending, and I end up saying what the first thing that came to mind,

"I can't help but think the same way," and with that I lean in to kiss him, I know I have defiantly found that puzzle piece; I know that I am truly happy with Peeta.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own the Hunger Games, **

**Chapter 3: Calling**

I wake up with my arms still around Peeta's shoulders, His hand is still rested on my head, I take hold of his hand and I kiss it, this makes him wake up,

"Hey Katniss," he says tiredly,

"Morning," I say in reply, "Did you have any nightmares?" I ask,

"No, did you?"

"I didn't either,"

I pause and think for a moment, Peeta is the cure to my nightmares, this may seem weird, but he is, every time I sleep near him or anything like that, I do not have any nightmares, I guess it is the same with him, I am his cure and he is my cure. I look over to the window. Someone is outside, it looks like a mailman, walking towards my house, the man slips a letter under my door and walks off, I have mail? Since when did people care to send me letters?

"A man just went up to my house, I think it was a mailman, come on," I say, as I take Peeta's hand, and prop him up on his feet, open the door the air is cool, as it usually is in the morning, but It will clear up, and become a beautiful day as it always does, I look over to Haymitch's house, I can see he is by the window in his kitchen, He looks at me with a scowl, preferably referring to me holding Peeta's hand I assume, I look away then we mount the steps to my house, I open the door and there is a small letter on the mat, I bend over and pick it up,

"It's from District 4," I say, I open the letter, and walk inside, Peeta not far behind me, the letter is written in clear words, so it is easy to read,

_Hello Katniss,_

_It's been a while since I saw you, I haven't seen you since we were in District 13, and how have you been Katniss, I hope you are coping well about Prim, I know I am not, and you probably aren't either, just remind yourself she will always be here if you let her live on in your memories. Gale came in to see me a few weeks ago, to ask how you have been, but I had told him I haven't talked to you since the war ended, so I thought it would be nice to let you know everything's fine here, and I'd love to see you soon, hope you are doing well. _

_Love you,_

_Your Mother, _

My mother cares about me? I thought she abandoned Prim and I years ago; she lost it when my father died, I don't understand.

"Katniss, who is it from?"

"It's from my mother,"

"Really? You haven't heard from her in a while" Peeta says,

"No, I haven't" I pause for a long while, Peeta is about to say something to break the silence but I say something first.

"Now, we have to go pay Theria a visit, you know, to see what needs to be done about your flashbacks,"

"alright, lets head over,"

We walk to the clinic, it feels like a long walk since me and Peeta don't talk, but once we reach the clinic the door flings wide open,

"Good! You are here! We have much to discuss," Theria says, we walk in and Theria takes us to her office, she sits us down on two chairs across from a desk, she sits on the other side,

"Now, I don't have the proper equipment nor medication here, the only place where we could possibly find a cure that could control your flashbacks, you have to go to District 4, I'll come with you, I'll send in another doctor to stay here in District 12 whilst we are out, this could take maybe a week and an half?"

I pause for a moment,

"Did you just say District 4?" I say, _my mother lives there._

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"No, not at all, we should go, yes." _what am I saying?_

"Well, then it's settled, there is a train first thing tomorrow morning, keen to go then?"

"Oh, wow, sure." _already? what If I come across my mother?_ "Thank you Theria, Is there anything we could do in return? This is a massive favor,"

"Katniss, you have rid Panem from havoc, it's the least I can do, so you don't need to return the favor," Theria says, "Go, pack your things, we don't have much time! It's already midday," she says,

I turn to Peeta, "Okay, lets go,"

"Okay,"

"See you soon Theria,"

We walk outside once again, we are just coming up to the victor's village when Peeta speaks,

"I'm just going to go get my stuff ready,"

"Okay, Talk to you later,"

Peeta goes off towards his house, I keep on walking towards mine, I open the door to my house and walk in, I go upstairs to my room and I get an old bag from one of the drawers, I put enough changes of clothes to last one week, and put all the essential things I need for traveling in the bag, this is when I come across the pearl that Peeta gave me during the Quell, I keep it in a little box on the dresser, every time I look at it, it either reminds me of Peeta, or the time in the Quell, the pearl has a strong connection to both of those subjects, but I try to edge it to remind me more about Peeta, I don't like remembering the time in the games, but some parts were okay, like when Peeta and I were on the beach, I get lost in my thoughts until I hear a knock on my door downstairs, I run down the stairs opening the door, thinking it was Peeta, or Theria, someone like that, But it's Haymitch,

"Now I don't know what this is all about, but you can stop pretending with Peeta now," Haymitch says,

"You're kidding right? What gives you the right to think that I-"

"Well, you did pretend during the games," He says,

"You told me to, but now I realize I don't have to pretend anymore, you know why?" I pause, as if Haymitch will answer, _Because I love him, I'm not pretending, or anything like that, _I open my mouth, then Haymitch cuts in,

"You passed,"

"What?" _What did I pass?_

"Did you really think I thought you were still pretending?"

"Well-"

"Have you seen yourselves lately?"

"What's your point?" I say with annoyance,

"You fall for things too easy," He says, whilst taking another swig from his flask,

"Hey, come back later when you feel like being mature for once," I gesture him go away, he does so but he mocks my gesture, I roll my eyes and shut the door, I go back to packing, I was almost done anyways, I hate how Haymitch thinks it's funny to play with my feelings, he can be kind sometimes, most of the time he just likes to wind me up and then see my reaction after, I finish packing and zip the bag up, I put it beside the door and sit on my bed, I place both of my hands on my face, I'm going to go see my mother tomorrow, and get some sort of cure for Peeta's flashbacks, I don't know how my mother is right now, but from the letter she sounds pretty happy, better than she was before the war finished, I look over to the clock beside my bed, it's only two in the afternoon, maybe I could go hunting for a while, I haven't been outside in the woods hunting properly on my own for a long time, I decide to go, before I do, I just get some bread I can eat on the way to the woods, I grab my game bag from the hook by the door, and head out.

* * *

I am outside in the woods, I feel normal again when I am, the woods are quiet, untouched by the Capitol, and they never will touch the woods, since the Capitol fell, I go over to the hollow in the tree and retrieve my bow and quiver, several old arrows I have been using for years are still in good condition, some still have old dried blood on them, some of the arrow heads are rusted, but it's okay, since the arrows come clean out of the animals once I have shot them, as they have every day, every year. I spot a turkey, I take aim straight away and kill it with one simple maneuver of my bow, I go over to examine my kill, and I have shot it in the eye. Things like this remind me of things Peeta has said, like he said his father told him I hit all of the squirrels in the eye every time. I sold them to Peeta's father, that was the only time I really saw Peeta in those days, I caught a glance of him every time I came to their back door to sell the squirrels, I put the turkey into my bag and head back, my bag only has room for one turkey, I guess I should invite Theria over for dinner tonight, since she had gone through all that trouble, and I don't care if she says its fine, she isn't going to use that excuse, It feels like I've only been out for half an hour, maybe I could climb a tree and sit there for a while, I do so, t

The view is still breathtaking, every time I look up to the sky, still bluer than ever, what feels like one minute, ten minutes go by, I savor every moment in the woods, because I will not be able to come back for a week, but I have to leave now, before the turkey attracts some unwanted critters, I climb back down and head back to the District, actually taking my bow and arrows with me, there is no point in hiding them anymore. People aren't that shocked to see me with them around town, I guess the suspect I have just gone out to hunt, nothing more than that, I get home and empty the game bag onto the bench in the kitchen the turkey is a reasonable size, wont be much of a challenge plucking the feathers out. I start working on the turkey; I'm almost done when Peeta walks in on me,

"Hi Peeta, have you finished packing?" I ask,

"Yes, I have," Peeta says, "I see you've been hunting,"

"Of course," I say, "We are inviting Theria over for dinner, I think after all she's done, we still need to repay her,"

"I agree, should I make some bread?" he asks,

"Yes, any flavor would be great," I say,

"Do you want me to bring the ingredients over here?"

"Yes, I'd rather not be alone for the rest of the day," I say, _and I like your company,_

Peeta smiles at me, I throw him a smile back, and then look down at the turkey I am plucking,

"I'll be back soon," Peeta says,

"Okay, don't take too long," I smile,

Peeta walks out, I'm here _hopelessly_ smiling to myself, Peeta just makes me happy. I have finished plucking the turkey, now I must cut out any unwanted parts of the turkey, such as the inners of the turkey, I clear it, throwing the rest in the bin, then I rinse it with water, and gently dry it with a paper towel, Peeta comes back inside with his ingredients for his bread and gets started,

"I'll be back, I'll just invite Theria over," I say,

I pick up the phone in the kitchen, and dial the number to the clinic, she picks up a few seconds later,  
"Hello, District 12 Health clinic, How may I help you?" she says in her clearest voice,

"Hey Theria, it's Katniss, " I say in reply,

"Oh, hello!" The formality drops from her voice, knowing I'm a friend,

"Peeta and I were wondering, If you'd join us for dinner tonight, since you had organized all of tomorrow," I trail off,

"Sounds lovely, what time?"

"Maybe around, half past five?"

"Great, thank you very much Katniss," she pauses, "See you then!"

"See you, and it's no problem at all,"

"Bye!"

"Bye,"

then I hang up the phone,

"So I'll take that as a 'she's coming'?"

"Yes, she is coming,"

"Great," he says as he pops a big sphere of dough onto a tray and puts it in the oven, _how did he make that so quick,_ I walk over to the cupboard and pick out some salts, then I go back to the turkey and season it, once I'm done I place it on a large tray and put it in the oven, I ask him "What sort of bread are you making?"

"I'm making some raisin bread" He says,

"Hey, thats like the bread you threw me, you know," I say, then I throw him a smile, he returns the favor,

"I'm going to put the turkey on now, so if your bread is going to be done soon,"

"There's plenty of room in the oven, here, let me put it in," I don't protest, I just go to sit on the chair at the bench, watching him put the turkey in the oven, once he's done, he walks over to my side and puts an arm around my shoulder,

"Hi," I say, he laughs,

"Hi, Katniss." I take hold of his hand then I lean into him, then he lets go of my hand and puts his other arm around my other shoulder, I do the same. Now we are hugging, sometimes I forget how sweet his hugs are, when his arms are around me I feel like I'm safe from everything, nothing can hurt me, Peeta is there to protect me, although, it's usually the other way around. A few minutes pass, I pull away from Peeta and get off the chair, then I make my way over to the oven to have a look at the turkey, it looks fine.

"Hey Peeta, do you think your bread is done?"

"Maybe, I'll check."

He goes over to the oven and pulls it open, and takes out the tray with the bread on it,

"Looks about done, now I'll just let it rise on it's own now."

"Alright then," I pause, "Hey,"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind looking after the turkey for a bit?"

"Sure, where are you going?" he asks,

"Just, out to the woods,"

"Okay then. Don't take too long, otherwise you might miss dinner," Peeta laughs,

"Okay,"

"-and don't forget your bow and arrows, you never know."

"Yes, I get it. I'll be back soon." I say, and then I place a kiss on his forehead.

I take a coat and put it on, I take my bow and arrows from where I left them earlier today and head out, I feel like just getting outside, It is where I am most myself, when I get into woods, I climb my favorite tree, this particular tree has the best view in my opinion, and I know that there is a flock of mockingjays that live nearby here, so when I sing, I can hear the echoes of my song throughout the wood, I decide to sing, to see if there are any mockingjays around,

_When you were standing in the wake of devastation,_

_When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown,_

The woods have gone silent, no birds are singing,

_With the cataclysm raining down,_

_Your insides crying, save me now,_

_You were there, impossibly alone. _

As soon as I finish singing, I hear echoes of mysinging; there are defiantly mockingjays here still, I lean back on the tree, listening to the birds, and I close my eyes. I know I shouldn't stay long, because I know I need to get back for dinner, but I sit there for a while, until the song dies down a little and returns to normal chirping. Then I start climbing back down from the tree, that's when I hear a howl.

* * *

**Cliffhanger? Maybe? Leave a review? It would help a lot since this is my first fanfiction :D Hope you liked it! I do not take claim on the song at all, or the hunger games, this is just for "fan" (Dunno what word I should use) purposes. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Run.**

I find myself franticly climbing back up the tree, must be my natural instincts, I have been out too long, and I have attracted some sort of mutt or creature, it was a good idea I brought my bow and arrows, if Peeta didn't remind me, I'd have a bit of a problem, being treed by mutts, unable to get out, I take an arrow from my quiver and load it into my bow, I have to be ready to strike, otherwise if I am late, It could be costly, I hear multiple footsteps, there must be more than just one, a whole pack more like it, brilliant, what If I don't have enough arrows? There is only one way to find out, I sit on the branch high up in the tree, that's when the first mutt jumps out of the bush and instantly eyeing me in the tree, I look down at the creature, dark fur with menacing black eyes, nose poised to my direction, claws, as sharp as blades, This isn't like the mutts in the games, but they do look like mutations the Capitol must of released them after the war, and not thinking of killing them, I'm surprised they didn't kill there animals, knowing they could be deadly to human beings, no wonder the electric fence is still up in District 12. Or at least the remains of it are, the mutt calls over it's other acquaintances, then another five or six emerge out to the bush, looking at me, I release my arrow, sending it through one of the mutt's eyes, instantly meaning death, once they understand that I have killed their leader, all of them try to climb the tree, I thought I didn't have to worry, but these animals can climb scarily well, I load my bow again, one of them has made it to the branch below me, I haven't payed attention to it, It leaps at me as I am loading my bow, it's claws sink into my knee, that's when I release the arrow and it goes through the mutts neck, I can hear the whimper escape the creature before it falls down with a loud thud on the ground, the more I kill, the more angry the mutts get. My knee is pouring with blood, but I have no time to tend to it, I must kill the other mutts, the pain in my knee is overwhelming, I load my bow again and kill another one, there must be at least two left, one is still on the ground growling whilst the two others make their way up the tree, I take out the one on the ground with an arrow through they eye, then I turn to find the mutts are drawing nearer, I shoot the closest one through the neck, there is one left. As soon as I turn around the animal has pounced at me, I have no time to load by bow, the mutt pushes me off the branch and I fall to the ground with a thud, my vision is hazy now, ground shock like this is horrible, the mutt is making its way to a lower branch I manage to load my bow and take a shot at it, but the arrow lands its place in the mutts backside, making it yelp, but it is defiantly not enough to kill it, It pounces from the branch in my direction, I jump to the side, the mutt barely misses me, it pounces on me again and pins me to the ground, I feel the animals teeth sink into my shoulder making me yelp in pain. I notice the arrow is still lodged in the animal's backside, I kick the mutt in the stomach, making it flinch, then I go for the arrow I twist it and yank it out, then attempt to puncture the arrow in the mutts neck, I am successful, the animal keels over to the left side, I make myself stand to retrieve my bow that I had let go of when the mutt pushed me out of the tree, my knee and my shoulder still oozing with blood, I know I need to hurry back to District 12, and get to Theria as soon as I can, I take my arrows out of the dead mutts, not bothering to clean them, this is not the time to anyways, I literally stuff them in my sheath and begin running as fast as I can back to the district.

* * *

I make it back to the district, but blood is spilling from my shoulder and knee fast, and people start to take notice at my appearance, I look over to the direction on the clinic. I'm beginning to feel lightheaded, I'm still running, not caring about the trail of blood that i'm leaving behind me. I should really pick up my pace, but my vision is getting hazy from the blood loss, someone notices the actual, blood pouring out of me, and they run over and try to keep me upright, I can make out the person saying something

"Hey, what happened?" my vision gets slightly more blurry, I don't know who this person is, but whoever it is, I owe a lot to, I can just make out that we have made it to the clinic, I look around and bunches of people are staring at us both, as soon as I turn back around, I can feel myself slowly drifting off, I've lost a lot of blood, my eyes close, the person is still helping me into the clinic, from what I can hear from the muffled sounds, I'm guessing it is Theria trying to talk to me, all I give out is a moan, then I drift off.

* * *

My eyes flutter open, barely. To a bright white room, my first instinct is to look at my shoulder, but its patched up, then I look further down my arm, there is a liquid getting pumped into my arm, I try and move my leg, that was a bad idea, I bite my lip, then the door opens, there is a man standing there with a white coat on, I guess he's a doctor, but why is he in District 12? I can't bring myself to say anything,

"She's awake." The man says,

"What?" a voice says,

"See, I told you she'd wake up sooner or later." Another voice says,

The man steps out of the doorway and in shoots Peeta, with Theria not far behind him,

"Thank god, you're okay." I can see the worry in his eyes, I can't blame him, If he was in my position I would be in a wreck, just like in the Quell, when Finnick tried o save him but I wasn't convinced he was, all I can do is take his hand, I don't have the energy to speak, I still don't really know my surroundings that well, I'm guessing we are in District 12, I start to drift off again, my hand still clutches Peeta's, it's either the drugs, or my exhaustion.

I wake up again, to what feels like I was asleep for 5 minutes, was more like 5 hours. The room is dark; I guess it's nighttime. I try to go back to sleep. But my conscious is telling me to stay awake, where am I? Am I in District 12? I look to my left side, Peeta has fallen asleep on the chair beside the hospital bed, he must of stayed here the whole time I was asleep, I give him a slight shake, It's not to powerful I suspect I'm still slightly drowsy by the pain killers, he wakes up and he says,

"Did you have a good sleep?"

"Hardly," I pause, "Where are we…?"

"We are in District 4," He says bluntly,

"What? How?"

"Well, Theria didn't have the equipment to stop your wound from getting worse, we had to take you here to get fully treated,"

"I was out for the whole train ride?"

"Yes, so you've been asleep for two days,"

My eyes widen a little, two days? Realization kicks in,

The only word that manages to slip out of my mouth is "okay" I don't know what to say, should I be angry with myself? I would of thought I'd have been in worse positions surely. He strokes my hair and I close my eyes, and try and get some sleep.

* * *

A doctor awakes me the next day; Peeta isn't in the room so I suspect they had to take him out to another room,

"There is someone here to see you," the doctor says, as he moves out of the doorway,

"Mom?"

"Hi, Katniss. I just got news that you came in yesterday, what have you been doing?" my mother says, with a slight disappointed look on her face,

"Well, I was in the woods, do I have to explain further?"

"No, I probably know what you did already," she cracks a faint smile, that's the first time in ages I have seen her smile, the doctor speaks up,

"Now, you'll be here for another couple days yet, we need to examine your shoulder further, as your knee should heal up fine soon, what ever had attacked you has ruptured your shoulder bone, we need to make sure that its fixed up."

_What makes me think there is a huge but in this. _

"But there may be some permanent damage to your shoulder, we don't know yet, that's why we must keep you in for another couple of days,"

_Great. _Just what I want, being stuck in a white room for 78 hours, unable to walk or even move a muscle, I sigh. "Thanks,"

Then I realize that I haven't eaten for two days. It will be kind of awkward to come out of the blue and say "I'm hungry," but I say it anyways, my mother gives a small chuckle, and the doctor says,

"Oh, sure. We'll get some food to you right away." Then he exits the room with haste. Not long after, Theria comes through the door with a tray,

"Hi Katniss, how are you doing?" she asks me, then gives me the tray

"All right, although I'm trapped in this place," I sigh. I hate hospitals. They remind me of the Capitol. It's just the way they look with their pristine white rooms, It reminds me too much of when I was rescued from the Quell. Or after the first games when they whisked me away to a small room strapped in what seemed like a hospital bed,

"At least its only two days,"

"Only? Seems like two years in my case."

Theria laughs at that. Then I examine the tray, nothing special, just some sort of broth. Since I hadn't eaten in a few days, I eat it without any problem.

"While you eat that, I'll go get your guest."

I choke on my food, and then swallow. "Guest?"

"Yes, I'll go get him now," she says as she exits the door.

_Him? Who's him?_


	5. Chapter 5

**I dont own The Hunger Games at all. lol**

**Chapter 5: Expectations **

I finish eating the broth, It wasn't bad for hospital food, Theria is still retrieving this 'guest' I have. I know that It's a 'him', so I suspect It's either Haymitch or Peeta, I don't know whether Haymitch came with us though. He might have been too drunk to. So I guess its Peeta. I hear voices coming from the hall, there's Theria's voice, but the other voice, is defiantly not Peeta's, nor Haymitch's. I sit up, maybe it will help me hear a little better, it doesn't make a difference but they are getting near to the door. I rest my head back on the pillow; I guess I'll know now, since the doorknob just twisted.

* * *

The door creaks open, Theria comes in first. I look at her with a questionable face. She just shakes her head and says,

"Come in,"

The person walks in slowly with his head down. When he gets to the edge of my bed he lifts his head up,

"Hey Catnip,"

"Gale?" I say in disbelief. There is a long silence. What on _earth_ is he doing here?

"What-"

"How are you?" he cuts in,

I look at him for a second and I lift a brow.

"Good…" _What does he want…? _

I hear him sigh, and then he says,

"Could you give us a moment, nurse."

"She has a name," I huff. "Her name is _Theria,"_

"Sorry, Theria." He says.

"Oh sure, sure."

She exits the room without another word.

"What's this all about Gale, why are you here?"

There is another long pause,

"I'm allowed to care aren't I?"

"Pff, when was that. Literally _straight_ after the war, I never saw your face ever again. Not once, so I'd think you wouldn't care." he opens his mouth but I quickly cut him off,

"I have received no calls, whatsoever, and you want me to believe that you still care about me?"

"Give me a-"

"-a break? Oh sure, why not. Then you could just-"

"-Can you let me finish?"

I fold my arms across my stomach, raising a brow again.

"I came here to say I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" I say, "You're a few months late."

"Yes, I know." He sighs, "I know,"

"But-" I say,

"-And I can't stop thinking about you,"

"Wha-?"

"I know this is a bit too, late. But you need to know, how lucky Peeta is."

"I…" _I don't know what to say,_

I hear a voice from the hall,

"Theria? Has she woken up yet?"

"Oh? Oh, yes, but- wait-"

The person walks in. It's Peeta. Gale turns around and looks at Peeta. Peeta just looks at him, and then looks at me. Nobody says anything. Until Peeta says something,

"Gale, haven't seen you in a while,"

"Neither.."

How could this get _more_ awkward?

I cough, "I think I need to be alone for a bit,"

"Katniss? Are you okay?" He says, as he walks to the side of the bed,

"Yes I'm fine, I just need some time." I say,

"Okay then," He places a kiss on my forehead. Then he walks out of the door, he gestures Gale to come out too, he's on his way out when he says,  
"Just remember, okay?" then he shuts the door behind him,

I can hear their chat faintly outside of my room, but I choose to ignore it.

I don't know why Gale is here. Peeta is lucky? Lucky to have some scarred, mental girl who thrashes about in her sleep and breaks down every time she hears about anything that relates to the Hunger Games. The door opens once again.

"Katniss?" my mother says, entering the room.

"Shut the door." I say. She does so.

"What's wrong?" She asks,

"Take a look outside the door, then ask me what's wrong."

She opens the door a little bit and looks out, then quickly shuts it.

"Oh.." she sighs.

"What is he even doing here?"

"Well, I suppose he hadn't left yet when he came to visit me, then he herd you were in, he had to stay longer, and I still, think. He, uh." My mother trails off.

"I think I know where you're going with that." I say.

"Yes. Uh. Well."

"I get it, I get it. " I sigh, so basically what she is trying to say, is that Gale still loves me, _brilliant. _Rather than leaving it, I have to get this over and done with.

"Can you get Gale in here please." I ask,

"Yes, sure." My mother says, as she scurries over to the door,

"Gale," she whispers, " 'mind coming in for a second?"

"No, not at all."

"Lets just wait here for a bit, Peeta. They have some sorting out to do."

"Alright," he says. The door clicks shut.

There is silence for a bit, nobody dares to speak. Then Gale does,

"I know, this might be hard for you, but-"

"Look, I have to tell you the truth. Rather that putting it off, I'll just say it alright." I open my mouth again to say some more, Gale quickly cuts me off,

"I already know what you're going to say. You love Peeta, Not me."

"Yes, but-"

"I, I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Coming here."

"No, don't be sorry for that, It was kind-of okay seeing you again." I try to cheer him up.

"Apart from the fact that you didn't like the fact I came before.." he chuckles.

"Oh shut up you, come here." I gesture him for a hug.

"Fine." He says, he walks to the side of my bed and leans in to give me a hug.

"Watch the shoulder," I say,

"I am, I am."

I hug him for a short time, but I have to pull away because my shoulder is starting to seize up.

"Sorry, my shoulder.." I trail off.

"It's fine."

"See you around, I guess."

"Okay, bye."

He starts making his way out the door, and then it clicks shut behind him.

I feel tired. I try to get some sleep I start having a dream, about when I was in District 13.

* * *

_I clench my fists on the end of the chair, District 13 is where we are stationed now, I look like a complete mental person, and I have the bracelet to prove it. I was in wreck when I heard the others were able to rescue Johanna and Beetee, but not Peeta. Plutarch keeps me under close eye since I have been tagged as a mental person. Peeta has now been rescued, but as I went inside to see him, he locked his hands around my throat and attempted to kill me. I have not been able to sleep, nor eat. I miss the old Peeta, the one who loved me, now he shuns me and wants me dead. I keep telling myself there is a way that he's still there; he's still there. But every time I get an update on him, he still thinks I am a mutt. When I walk down the hallway, I hear his screams coming from the room, every time I hear him scream I break down where I'm standing, People tend to me, but I usually ignore them. No wonder I've been issued as a mental person. I don't want to lose the boy with the bread. Not again. _

_"Sweetheart, I know this is hard for you." I look at Haymitch with sad and tired eyes; I haven't had much sleep since Peeta attacked me. _

_"But you have to understand, he will be okay. Give him some time, he'll come to his senses-"_

_"-And what if he doesn't Haymitch? What the hell do we do then?"_

_"I don't know sweetheart. Just calm down." He goes to hug me, I just fall into his arms and cry. He kneels down on the ground with me. Me still sobbing into his shoulder, he rubs my back._

_"He will come back,_

_He will come back,_

_He will come back…"_

* * *

"He will come back." I murmur, and then my eyes flutter open. I look to the side of me; Peeta is sitting on a chair next to my bed. Holding my hand. Then I notice the fresh tears slowly streaming down my face.

"Another nightmare?" He asks,

"Kind of, it wasn't violent. It was when we had just rescued you from the Capitol, and you were all… different."

"I see, well, I'm alive, and I'm not crazy."

"That's good," I say, he leans in and gives me a kiss. I smile to myself, whilst he does. Then I hear an uncomfortable coughing noise. We pull away almost instantly. And we see Theria stand in the doorway.

"Am I interrupting something here?" she says with a smirk on her face.

"Uh. No, of course not." I cough. Then I hit Peeta lightly on the arm, gesturing to back me up,

"Uh, yeah. I, we were just-"

"Oh don't worry, I know exactly what you were doing."

I sigh, with a smile on my face. Theria is quietly laughing.

"Okay Peeta, I have to take some blood tests. So, could you maybe.."

"Oh sure, no problem." Peeta walks out the door.

Theria smirks at me again,

"Oh shut up." I laugh.

"I didn't say anything!"

* * *

**I swear, these chapters are getting smaller and smaller... lol. Thanks guys, for being so patient. Leave a review if you have any opinions. Opinions would be nice since this is my first fanfic, lol. Thanks for 9 followers and over 800 views *-* Chapter 6 coming soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own the hunger Games. As requested by OTPLOVER. I will try to add more fluff. Lol.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Finally**

Finally, my knee is almost fully healed. And I'm allowed to walk on it. The only other thing I nee to watch out for is my shoulder, the doctor said it should be healed physically in a few days. But internally, they aren't so sure. Theria walks in the room with Peeta.

"Now Katniss, before you get up to walk-"

"Yeah, yeah. Make sure it's fully supported,"

"Yes, now, Peeta could you help her walk? Or at least get her up on her feet."

"Absolutely." Peeta takes hold of both of my hands and helps me out of the hospital bed and onto my feet.

_I'm standing. After three days. Finally._

"Ok," he says, gently putting his arm around my sore shoulder, holding me upright.

"And in a few days you should be able to walk normally."

I hesitate,

"Should I walk now?" I ask Peeta.

"Ready when you're ready." He says.

I look back at him and smile. Then look down at my feet. I lift my leg up, and take one step. Then I take another. Before I know it, we are pacing back and fourth in the room although each step I take I hunch over inch by inch. I hear Theria laughing,

"What?" I say.

"You have no idea how _funny_ you two look" then Theria continues to laugh. That's when I notice I am hunched over. _A lot. _

"Some nurse you are." I laugh. Peeta props me upright. I take another step but my step lands on Peeta's foot.

"Sorry," I say, and then I start chuckling.

"No problem." He says. He smiles at me as I continue laughing.

How could walking around in a room be so amusing?

Theria can't stop laughing. She stops laughing, and at this 'window of opportunity' she says something,

"I can't contain myself. I'll just go out into the hall and calm down." Then she bursts out laughing again while walking towards the door.

"Hey, Peeta." I say,

"Yeah?"

"Face me for a second." He lets go of my shoulder and stands in front of me.

"Step a few paces back," he does so,

"What are you doing Katniss?"

"Okay, okay. Now I'm just going to- step towards you," I say whilst taking a small step.

"Don't fall over," He says.

"I wont."

I'm only a step away from him. I take the step forward slowly, and then I sling my good arm around Peeta's shoulder

"At least I still have one good arm." I say. Then I pull him closer to me, one of his arms wrap around my waist. I tilt my head upwards a little bit. Making my eyes meet Peeta's,

"Hey, do you think anybody will walk in this time?" I ask,

"I think so. But I don't really care." He replies, and with that he leans in to kiss me, my lips already meet his before he leans any further. I close my eyes.

* * *

We stay there, for a good few minutes until we hear the door handle twist. Instead of pulling away I pull him closer to me, I don't really want anybody to ruin this moment right now. I open my eyes, to see who might be walking through the door, It's who I expected it to be, it's Theria. She pokes her head in then spots us, and bursts out laughing again. I wave her off with my free hand. She shuts the door, still laughing. Now I'm wondering, what's so funny? I pull away from Peeta just slightly, just so our foreheads touch.

"Theria won't stop laughing" I say,

"Must have been a pretty funny sight then"

"Yeah, Hey. Just changing the subject." I pause. "I love you"

"Awwww" I can hear the muffled voice of Theria through the door.

"A perfect way to ruin the moment!" I yell intentionally to the door.

"No way, I was just- Oh just get on with it." She says.

"Well." He says. "So do I."

I smile, but I feel my smile fade after the sharp pain in my shoulder. That brings me to my senses.

"My shoulder. Is being a pain." I say as I pull away from him.

"Hey, let me help you back."

"Thanks," I say,

He walks me over to my hospital bed, and sits me down on it. He props a pillow up to support my shoulder.

"Is it safe to come in yet?"

"I don't know. You tell me, have you stopped laughing?"

"Yes. Maybe."

"Come in then, my shoulder has begun to act up again,"

"Oh, one second let me go get your painkillers."

* * *

After a few minutes, Theria is back with the painkillers. She gives me a couple of pills and a glass of water. I swallow both of them separately, and then I wash it down with the water.

"Better?" she asks.

"Better."

Theria smiles, and takes the glass from my grasp.

"So, about Peeta's, flashbacks." I start,

"Oh yes. We have already gone to see the doctor. And he has received his medication. He will only have to take these for approximately a year. Then things should gradually get under control."

"Brilliant." I say, "So when did you get them Peeta?"

"I got them yesterday. So I've started taking them now."

"Great."

"Hey, so how long until I can get out of this white house Theria?"

"Well, you're shoulder should be healing normally. So maybe two more days, so they can finish evaluating it."

"Two days…" I sigh.

"Hey, don't worry. At least you have this fellow with you," she says pointing at Peeta.

"You're right Theria. I should be just fine with Peeta here." I look at Peeta with a smile and he kisses me.

"-And me." Theria adds.

"Oh yes, you." I say with a smile.

* * *

Smaller and smaller they get. Sorry this one had to be a short one. I was so caught up with this project I had to do for school. NOW ITS OVER. So chapters should be getting longer again. Thanks for the reviews :D Also thanks for over 1,000 views and 14 followers *-* Continue to leave reviews, it helps me heaps, :D3


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Where**

"Katniss?" Theria says, entering my room. "They have finished evaluating! We are free to go!"

I look over to Theria, standing in the doorway. I rub my eyes.

"Really? Wow. Took a shorter time than I expected." I pause for a moment. "Where's Peeta?"

"Oh, he has just gone down to the ground floor, to uh. Get something."

"Get something?"

"Yeah, so if you want to, go see him now. Go, now."

"Well okay then."

"Hang on, just saying. Your mother has offered us to stay at her house whilst we are here. So we can organize a train back to District 12"

"Oh, I'll go talk to her soon, I'll just go to- uh, y'know." I say quickly.

"Wait! You're still in your hospital gown!"

"What does it matter? This is a hospital."

"Well! They're ugly!"

I wave her off. Then I walk as briskly as I can outside the door to the elevator. I walk in to the elevator and push the 'ground' button. There are a few people in the elevator.

"Glad to see you're well again, Katniss."

I look over to the man who said that, I smile at him and thank him. Once the elevator dings, we are on the ground floor. I turn back to the man,

"Thank-you" then the elevator door shuts.

I look over to the other side of the room; Peeta is standing looking outside the window near the reception.

"Peeta!" I yell. But not too loudly, since this _is_ a hospital. His head turns slowly in my direction. His eyes lock with mine and I begin to walk over to him. Then I notice he is holding something behind his back. I forget the thought when he embraces me with his left arm, I place a kiss on his cheek and we both pull away.

"Hey. I got you something." He says, revealing a small bouquet of flowers and handing them out to me.

"How traditional," I say, with as much humor as I can put into those words.

"Very traditional."

I lean in closer, "Just kidding, I love them." I wrap my arms around Peeta's shoulders and pull him in for a hug.

"Mommy! Look! It's Katniss!" A little girl calls.

I pull away from him. Then the litter girl runs over to my spot, her mother not far behind her. She has blond hair. Much like my little sister's hair. As she gets closer I can see she has bright green eyes like Finnick's.

"Oh hello," I say to the little girl, "What's your name?" _I'm horrible with kids. _I think to myself.

"Hi, My name is Phoebe. And you're Katniss! You're so much prettier in person!"

"Thanks you, and, that's me." I say. Her mother comes behind her, picking her up.

"Sorry about that. She just gets excited when she sees people she hears about on the television."

"Not a problem,"

"Katniss?" Phoebe says,

"Yes?"

She leans in, her mother still holding her, she whispers.

"I think he likes you." Pointing at Peeta.

I just laugh,

"I think so too." I reply.

She giggles then turns back to her mother. The mother places a hand on one of my shoulders.

"I was devastated when I found out you had lost the baby to the fence in the Quell."

Oh of course. I was 'pregnant' during the Quell.

"U-uh, yeah. So was I."

She takes her hand off my shoulder.

"Lovely to meet you. See you around." The mother says.

"Bye Katniss!" Phoebe says cheerfully.

"Bye," and they both walk off.

I turn around to Peeta.

"I'm so bad at lying."

"No, no. You made it sound like you didn't want to talk about it. Perfect acting if you ask me."

"Thanks," I smile, "But I don't like lying."

"I know I don't either. But I think some of the stories will fade away from the Hunger Games. In time."

"I guess you're right. We just have to put up with it until then."

"Hey! Peeta! You left this he room!" I hear Theria's voice call. We turn around and I see she's holding a couple bags up.

"Oh, right! Sorry!" He calls back,

She walks over to us and hands the bags over to Peeta.

"Katniss, your mother should be down soon. She'll take us to her house to organize the trip back home." She says.

"Okay, should we just sit down in the waiting room then?" I ask

"I guess so. C'mon" she replies.

We all sit down near a table.

"So uh, nice flowers you got there." Theria says. Then she winks at me.

I laugh, "Yes, they are."

There is silence for a moment. Theria is making one of those awkward faces you make when it's quiet and there's nothing much to say.

"Hello you three."

I turn to the direction the voice came from. It's my mother; she must have gotten out early.

"So, shall we?" she says.

"Yes." I say in reply.

"Lovely flowers, Katniss." My mother says.

I laugh, "Yes. They are."

"That sounds familiar," Theria says, "Maybe because you said it a few minutes ago…?"

"Oh shut up." I laugh.

It's a short walk back to my mother's house. At first glance, it's defiantly way too big for only one person to live in.

"Wow, this place is huge." I say.

My mother laughs. "That's one of the main reasons I invited you three to stay."

"Thanks again for that." I say,

"Not a problem," she says, she walks up to the door and pulls a key out her pocket and unlocks the front door, we all walk inside into the living room.

"Anybody want some tea?" my mother asks.

"Yes, thank you." Theria says.

"Me too," Peeta says.

"I'll help you mom."

"Thanks."

I walk into the kitchen with my mother, and then I notice I'm still holding the flowers.

"Hey mom, do you know where I should put these?"

"Oh just put them on the table. I'll put them in some water later for you."

"Okay," I say in reply, putting the flowers down.

"So how are you feeling? Any better?"

"Better than three days ago." I chuckle.

"I'd think so," she says.

"Could you boil the water Katniss? I'll just go get the tea leaves."

"You grow your tea?"

"Yes, I find it nicer that way."

"Alright then. I'll boil the water." I say.

After I boil the water on the stovetop in the kitchen. My mother is back with the tealeaves. She fetches three mugs from one of the cupboards below the sink, and I pour the water in each of them. She grinds the tealeaves and puts them in each cup. Then stirs them all.

"I'll take two of them. You can take the other." I say,

We walk into the room and I hand Theria her tea. Then I give the other to Peeta. Then I take a seat next to him and mom gives me my tea.

"Here we are. Enjoy." She says.

"Thank you," Theria says, then she takes a sip of the tea. "Wow, this is really nice!"

"Thanks, I grow the leaves myself." My mother replies.

This is nice. I'm glad we are staying at my mother's house. I'm happy to spend some time with her.

* * *

**Meh, for some reason this took a while to write. Thanks for all the reviews, the input is nice. :D and there will be more chapters soon. :D School is out. so maybe the chapters will come out quicker. ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own **

**Chapter**** 8: Hold**

We've finished the tea and we had a long chat about everything, what's been happening, I have been able to sneak a few kisses to Peeta without my mother looking, but Theria defiantly knows what's going on. When she smirked at me this one time my mother turned around and looked at us. We had pulled away in the nick of time. I think I want to tell my mother that we are now, I don't know, together? Now? I have gone to get changed into some clothes that Peeta had packed for me before we left District 12 when I was unconscious. Since I was still in my hospital gown. Theria was right. These things _are_ ugly. He's packed a few changes of clothes for me; night clothes, tracks, trousers, shirts, sweaters. I just slip on my nightclothes. It was nearing the summer. So the nights are getting warmer. Speaking of night, it's getting quite dark outside. I walk out of the room I am staying in and everyone seems to be in their rooms that my mother has let them stay in. I walk into the living room. I presume everyone's gone to get ready for sleep, but my mother is sitting on the couch by herself, I take the seat next to her and greet her.

"Hey,"

"Hey, Katniss."

There is a long pause. I speak up again though, to break the silence.

"So how's it going? With the hospital and everything, the house."

"Good, how about you? You know, Peeta. Some other things."

"Good…" I say, I feel my face flush red. But it must not be too bad since my mother has not taken any notice. Or she thinks its warm and I'm getting overheated. I don't even know why I am. It's stupid.

"So. I think it would be good if you went to bed, just so your shoulder can rest."

"Alright then mom, night" I pull her in for a hug,

"Night."

I pull away from her and get up; I make my way to the room I'm staying in. I sit on the edge of the bed for a moment. Will I get any nightmares tonight? Will I scream and awaken everybody? I lie down, over the covers; it's too hot anyways. I shut my eyes and I try to go to sleep.

* * *

_I'm crashing through the trees, Peeta not far behind me. We are running from the mutts. The mutts that represent each of the tributes' faces. We are sprinting at full speed towards the Cornucopia. I look over my shoulder, Peeta is running far behind. Then I see him get caught._

_"Peeta!" I shriek. I hear only the cries coming out of him as the mutts tear away at him._

_This is it. No more running. I stop running towards the Cornucopia, and I start running towards where Peeta and the mutts are. I take aim with my bow and arrow, and shoot one. The others take notice of me and start chasing. I take my aim upon all of them until I have no arrows left. I keep running around whilst the others chase me. So I can retrieve the arrows from the dead mutts. This strategy eventually works. And all the mutts are dead. I make my way over to Peeta's limp body; his chest is still rising and falling. He's still alive. But he is injured badly. I can't do anything._

_"Peeta.."_

_"Katniss, you have to go." he pleads._

_"No. I'm staying here." Tears are falling down my face,_

_The footsteps behind me tell no lie. I'm going to die. Right here right now._

* * *

Of course I'm screaming. Also breathing heavily. I look around the room and the moon's light illuminates the room so I can only just see. I get up from the bed and I walk out of the room. No more of this. I can't take it anymore. I walk down the hall and stand in front of Peeta's door.

"Katniss?"

"Wha?"

I turn around, to find my mother in the doorway of her room.

"Oh, hi. You scared me," I say.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream," she says in a hushed voice.

"Yes. I was just going to.."

"Well, I'll leave you to it then." She gives a slight nod and goes back into her room,

I sigh, and open the door to Peeta's room. He's asleep so all I do is walk to the side of the bed and sit on it. I take hold of his hand and give it a shake. This makes him wake up.

"Katniss? Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yes," I pause for a long while, should I say it? Should I not? What if he says no?

"Can I stay here? For the night?"

He hesitates for a moment, and then I see a smile in the faint light from the moon.

"Sure," He pats the space next to him, gesturing that I should lie down. He moves over slightly to give me room, and opens the sheets. I swing my legs on the bed and under the covers and lie down. This is the first time I've been in the same bed as Peeta since the Quell. To be honest, I've missed this. I sling an arm around his chest and I move closer to him. He wraps an arm around my waist. He kisses me on my head and a small smile plays out on my face. How I've _missed_ this. I close my eyes, and I slowly drift off to sleep in the arms of the boy with the bread.


	9. Chapter 9

**I swear, I've been watching the Catching Fire trailer too much. **

**At least the new one will be out in 7 days *-* Who else is excited? :D**

**I don't own the Hunger Games. **

**Chapter 9: Walk**

I'm awoken by the voice of Theria; she's speaking to my mother just outside the door. Peeta is still fast asleep. So I lie there for a while longer. I didn't have another nightmare last night, which was nice. Peeta's arm is still around my waist. That brings a faint smile to my face. Then I overhear the conversation in the hall. I close my eyes and listen,

"Should we wake them up now?"

"I don't know! You're the nurse!"

"You're a nurse too, Theria."

"I know that. But you know them better than me,"

From what I hear, my mother sighs.

"Just wake them up."

"Fine,"

The doorknob twists and the door opens slightly. She takes a small peep through the door and then shuts the door again.

"Aww. Do I have to wake them up? They look so… I don't know… Peaceful?"

Maybe I should just wake up him up. Make it easier for the both of them, since I'm already awake.

"Hey, Peeta." I say, in a partially quiet voice. He stirs a little, opens his eyes and looks down at me,

"Hey, did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes, thanks for letting me stay."

"No problem, I was actually beginning to worry about you again, from what I gathered. You hadn't been so scared from a nightmare before to come to me."

"They are always scary, I was just. Nervous I guess to come ask, to come – stay – in the same –"

"Don't be nervous, I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks." I say, "I guess I should know I can always feel comfortable around you."

With that I lean in to kiss him, then to door flings open.

"Oh good! You two are awa-!" Theria doesn't finish her sentence. My head snaps in the direction of the door,

"Caught in the act again, you two." Theria smirks. I blush for some stupid reason, and then hide my face under the sheet. I hear Peeta laugh.

"We'll be out in a minute." He says.

"Alright, just don't let me catch you two again, or it could be a world record." Then she walks out of the room, without another word.

"Are you serious? Again?!" I say,

"I know, I know." He says. I uncover my head from the sheets. "Hey, you're blushing," he teases.

"Shut up." I snap. Then I cover my face with my hands.

"Come on, we should get up now."

"Alright…" I say as he removes his arm from my waist, "..wait."

"Huh?"

"Lets just stay here, for a few more minutes."

"But-"

"Just a few.. Please."

"Okay," He says, sinking down in the bed again. I wrap my arms around his chest again.

* * *

After a few minutes, we get up. I go into the bathroom down the hall, to take a shower. Once I'm done I put on some clothes, just some loose trousers and a tank top. Then dry my hair partially to put my hair into a braid. I walk out into the lounge to find everybody talking,

"Oh, here's the other lovebir-" Theria starts.  
"Don't even go there," I cut her off. She holds her hands up in the air, like somebody's going to shoot her.

"Well to start on a higher note, we've decided to take a small outing, before we head back home." Theria says.

"Sounds like an idea to me," I nod.

"Well, lets all go then!" She says,

"Wait.. now?"

"Yes now!"

"Do I look okay? To go out like this?"

Theria looks at my mother, then looks at Peeta,

"Take it away Peeta." She says.

"You look great, as always." He says,

"Oh come on, you're just saying that,"

"No! Honest!" he laughs.

"Fine, I trust you."

* * *

We end up going for a walk on the beach. It really is magnificent. The beaches here have fine pearly-white sand, and the water looks calm and still. It's the morning, so the sun sits just above the sea. It reflects off of the sea creating a bright white light in the horizon. As I gaze out at the sea, I find my pace gradually getting slower. The view is just so breathtaking. Someone taps my shoulder, I turn around to find that it was Peeta.  
"I didn't even realize you were falling behind." He says,

"Neither did I."

Then I look down to my right hand, to see Peeta holding it. Then, not caring if Theria is looking or not, I lean in for a kiss, and for once. I got one without Theria looking. Good thing she's walking with my mother in front of us.

Theria, she's crazy. But you got to love her.

"Hey Peeta,"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think we'll do when we get back home?"

"I don't know.. The same thing I guess… You visit, I visit."

I swallow hard. I want to ask him to come stay with me. But what if he says no..

_"They are always scary, I was just. Nervous I guess to come ask, to come – stay – in the same –"_

_"Don't be nervous, I'm here if you need me."_

_"Thanks." I say, "I guess I should know I can always feel comfortable around you."_

That plays across my mind once, and then I say, without hesitation.

"I was thinking, maybe you could stay with me. In my house - I mean - if you want to – I mean-"

"You mean, you want me to stay in your house when we get back. If that's what you mean. Yes, I will stay with you."

"You will?"

"Of course. To be honest, I've been waiting for you to ask that."

A small smile breaks out on my face. Then I go in for a hug.

"Thank you." I say, "Thank you,"

* * *

**Thank you for all your reviews! All of you are awesome, and thank you for waiting for my updates :] I'll try to get a chapter out every day, if not, every two days :) To all 26 of you! Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be out soon :D x**


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own the hunger games, **

**Chapter 10: Memorials**

* * *

The rest of the walk was great. Peeta and me shared a conversation, whilst Theria minded her own business with my mother. When we came to the edge of the beach we all had to turn around and walk back. We all walked back together.

"So, how was _walking?"_ Theria teases.

"Good. How 'bout you?"

"Well that backfired."

"What did you expect me to say?"

"Nothing." Theria laughs.

"Oh Theria." I smile, "I don't know if you know how nosey you are,"

"Hey, it's my nature. Been this way ever since I was little."

I don't know what it is about Theria, she's crazy, but somehow you just have to love her. Her personality is quirky, every time she says something witty, I can't help but laugh. The sparkle in her blue eyes reminds me that, well. This is Theria. I think we'll be friends for a while to come. To think she was a quiet nurse from District 4, that was scarred from being in the Hunger Games all those years ago.

"Yeah, your nature."

We are still walking; the sun is high in the sky now. I look over to the center of town. The place is buzzing now.

"So when we get home everybody, get your stuff ready, because your train leaves tomorrow morning." My mother says,

"Alright,"

"Hey, is there anywhere else you want to go? Before we go back?"

I think for a moment,

"Yes. Yes, actually. I'd like to visit the memorial."

"Oh the memorial? That's in town. I'll take you to it now." She replies.

"Okay, thanks."

My mother leads us into town; she said the memorial is just outside the former Justice Building. I can see the memorial. From what I can see, there are dozens of names engraved onto the memorial. I see someone, standing before the memorial. The figure has flowing brown hair.

"Could that-?" I say in disbelief. I start running. Could it be?

"Katniss?" Peeta calls. "What are you doing?" I hear Theria say. No. I don't answer. I need to know who this is. The figure turns around and I instantly recognize her, the brown hair, and the green eyes. Then I look over to what she is holding, a baby with bronze hair. Annie Cresta, is paying her respects to her deceased husband.  
"Annie!" I yell.

"Katniss?"

I continue running. Until I come up to her, I give her a hug, the baby still in her arms. I can distinctly see the tears in her eyes when we pull away.

"What brings you here?" she asks. Wiping her eyes.

"I was at the hospital, I got attacked. Too much to explain."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, although-"

"Annie?" I hear Peeta call.

"Oh my, Peeta's here too." Annie says.

I look down at the baby. It's grown bigger since I had seen him in the pictures Annie had sent us, and he resembles Finnick so well, it's enough to bring a tear to my eye. Peeta comes and embraces Annie. Then comes to stand next to me.

"How old is little... um… the baby?" I say.

"He's almost 2 and a half months old,"

"What's his name?" I ask, I think I already know his name.

"His name is Finnick." She says, "In honor of his father."

I feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. This, I knew she was going to name her baby Finnick; it's just the thought of it. It's so saddening.

"I'm sure Finnick would be happy." I say,

"I'm sure he would." Annie smiles, her eyes forming tears. "Theria? Is that you?"

"Annie, You've grown so much."

Theria and Annie must know each other; they are from the same District after all.

"-and so has little Finnick." She says, twiddling the small child's finger.

"You knew him before?" I ask,

"Yes, I delivered him." Theria says, "Before I came to District 12."

"Oh my god." I say, cupping my hand over my mouth.

"Well, I am a nurse." Theria says,

"Yes, I know that." I reply.

"Mrs. Everdeen, nice to see you again as well," Annie says,

"Nice to see you again too."

This is like some sort of family reunion.

We all talk for a while, about everything really. How Annie has been with Finnick. She has done remarkably well, considering she's a widow. Raising a child all by herself.

I hope she doesn't spend too long mourning though, it must be hard, raising a child that looks a lot like Finnick, and is _called_ Finnick. I'm sure it's for the best. She did love Finnick very much, and I suppose this is a good way to honor him, a good way to let his legacy live on. To be honest, thinking of this does make me shed a tear. I'm proud of Annie, she is doing so well, and I defiantly think I should send her more letters. Before we depart the memorial, I give Annie another hug. She certainly is a strong young woman.

* * *

The long walk home didn't take too long; it took about fifteen minutes at the most. The house is about ten meters away. Peeta held my hand the whole way here, and I', surprised that Theria didn't make a remark about it. When we come to the front door, I say

"I think it was good, seeing Annie again."

"Yeah, I mean. It was good seeing her doing well." Peeta replies.

"Absolutely." Theria says,

My mother unlocks the door; we go inside to start packing. Once we are all done, we have dinner, my mother had made some salad, but Peeta also insisted to make something. So he made some bread, with whatever he could find in my mother's kitchen. When the bread was done. We all had some. It had been a while since I had Peeta's bread. So it was nice to have some. We have conversation, an occasional laugh.. Altogether it was a nice night, a nice day in fact. Everything was going fine, until the phone rang in my mother's kitchen; she left to go pick it up. Then called me over and said it was for me.

"Who is it?" I ask,

"It's uh- just here." She gives the phone to me.

"Hello Katniss!" the woman says, in a strong Capitol accent. I think I know who this is already.

* * *

**Hello Guysss :) Here's another chapter for you all. Oh my bread, we've made it to 30 follows :O and over 3,000 views :) Thanks you guys for reading this story so far :D it's fun writing this. And the next chapter will be out soon! :) **

**Just some replies to your reviews on the last chapter:**

**HGfan4719:- That's good :D Glad you're happy :D Thanks for the other reviews you have posted too! :)**

**AinslyWright:- Thanks! I'm glad you like it! And thanks for the other positive reviews! :D :) :P**

**Peetagrl3:- Glad you're loving it! And don't worry, I wont make it too risky. Keeping it T rated. **


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own the Hunger Games **

**Chapter 11:**

* * *

"Effie? Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, yes! How are you, Katniss?

"Good thanks."

"Now to the reason I called. I'm calling you, to come to the Capitol!"

"Th-the Capitol?"

"Yes! I need you to come, with Peeta of course! There are interviews to be done! And- you've been invited to a special party!"

"Party? What for?"

"Well, lets just say we're celebrating almost four months of freedom! Interviews would like to be done! If you agree to come, a train should be in District 4 tomorrow morning!"

"Wait, how'd you know I was in District 4?"

"Katniss, it was all over the news!"

"Wow, no privacy in the Capitol, isn't there?"

"I guess so. So are you coming?"

"I-I guess…"

"Good! See you an a couple days!" and with that she hangs up the phone,

Great, I'm going back to the Capitol, where all the 'fun' began.

* * *

I come back into the dining room.

"That was Effie." I say, Peeta raises a brow,

"Effie? What did she need?"

"Well, lets just say we are going back to the Capitol tomorrow."

"What?" he says, and then I can hear Theria choke on her food.

"You're going back to the Capitol?" she asks, I sit back down on the table.

"I suppose, she just called. Inviting Peeta and I to some sort of party."

"Really? Well I guess I'm going back to District 12 alone.."

"Theria, you can come if you want."

"I suppose, but I'd be interfering with your business. Anyways I have to get back to do my work."

"Are you sure? I mean I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I'm sure. On the plus side, it's been fun hasn't it?

"It has," I smile.

"-And we've had our, interesting times." She says, with a smirk on her face.

"You just walk in, at the wrong time, every time."

"What's this?" my mother asks.

"Dare I explain?" I say.

"I caught them. Kissing, almost ten times."

"Ten times? Now that's over exaggerating."

"Is not! I saw it with my own eyes."

"Yeah, you saw it with your own eyes… three times."

"Fine."

"Wow, I didn't know." My mother says, "It's good that you two are, doing well."

"Yeah.." I say, and then I blush once again, for some stupid reason.

Theria laughs, "You're blushing again."

"Am not!" I say, but in result, my cheeks start to burn more.

"I'm going to take the plates out now." I say, getting up, taking empty plates.

* * *

It's getting late. I'm sitting on my bed. But I don't want to sleep by myself tonight. I don't want any more nightmares. I get up and I walk into Peeta's room again, knowing this will be our last night in District 4, and we have to go to the Capitol.

"Peeta, I was wondering if I could stay here, again for tonight."

"Sure," he smiles.

I walk over to the bed silently; I sit on the bed and envelop Peeta in a hug. I have a lot of thoughts to process. I've been in the hospital because of my careless actions. I have worried Peeta to death. We had been in the hospital for at least a week and from what Effie told me, it was all over the news in the Capitol. And now, we are going to the Capitol tomorrow. I have a feeling we should discuss everything, in the privacy that we have here. If we have the conversation in the Capitol, surely we would get caught, then there would be no privacy at all. So may as well talk whilst we have this luxury of privacy.

"Do you think it will be okay? Going to the Capitol?" I ask.

"Maybe. As long as it's not the too much like it was before…"

"Yeah.." I pause for a moment,

"Peeta… I'm sorry I got attacked. "

"What? Why would you apologize for something like that?"

"Well, if I hadn't gone out that late, this wouldn't of happened. I wouldn't of worried you."

"But Katniss, you're okay now, that's all that matters to me. If something bad happens, I have to prepare myself for it. I was worried. But with the expertise of today, I guess I shouldn't worry too much."

"But what if-"

"You know, whatever happens, if you couldn't walk, if you were left with scars, if you were left with recurring nightmares. If your shoulder was permanently damaged." He says, pointing to my shoulder. "I will always worry. I will always care."

His hand finds a lock of hair and he curls it back behind my ear.

"I will always love you. Alright?"

A smile spreads across my face and I nod.

"Okay. Me too."

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. His hands find my waist, and then I pull him closer, eliminating the space between us. Nothing could destroy this moment. Nothing.

We fall asleep in each other's arms again some time later. I fall asleep knowing that I wont have any nightmares tonight, or anytime soon.

* * *

**Yay. It's doneee… I had fun writing this one. Just just. YAY.**

**Thank you for the reviews. I love you all. Mwah.**

**New chapter should be out soon.**

**If anyone has any suggestions, leave them in the reviews.**

**Thank you guys, :) **

**18th/July**

**{updated because the typo really annoyed}**

**P.S. **

**SORRY. If you find any stupid typos. I literally just write these and put them in the story.**

**So if you have found any in the previous chapters, and thought 'whatdahek?' lol sorry :P**

**CATCHING FIRE GUYS. TRAILER OUT. 2 DAYS. YES. *fangirling***


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own the Hunger Games**

**Chapter 12: Depart**

* * *

I awaken from a luscious sleep, even better than the night before. But when I look to the other side of the bed, Peeta isn't there. His side of the bed is still warm, so I suppose he only just got up too. He walks in the room,

"Hey, when did you get up?"

"A couple minutes ago."

"How come you didn't wake me up?"

"You looked happy, so I didn't want to wake you up."

"Thanks, but you still should have woken me up."

All he does is laugh. I sigh, but of course I have to smile.

"Let's get ready then, we might not want to miss the train. Help me get up." I say, holding my arms out in the air.

"Sure."

* * *

Once I get out of bed. I go to take a shower. Better not look grubby. I am going to the Capitol after all. As much as I really don't want to go, I guess it will be nice seeing Effie again. Once I've had my shower, I put on the most presentable clothes I have. Which is a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. Great. But I sure know the Capitol. They'd want me in dresses. Overloaded with sequins and sparkles, at least I think so. So I suppose they'd lend me one dress- or ten, and if the Capitol were throwing a party. Of course it would be about the strangest things. Freedom from the horrible law is one thing, maybe a one year- two-year anniversary. No, what about 4 months? Of course they'd throw a party at the strangest times. I put the clothes on, and braid my hair into the same braid I always wear. I'm sure the Capitol would love me to wear my braid. I look at myself in the mirror, noticing a scar on the left side of my forehead. I run my finger over the uneven surface of my scar; most of them had healed. But some are just not. I'm afraid of them not disappearing. I want them to be gone. Because what if one day I have children and one of them asks me where I got this scar. How could I tell them without scaring them to death? But of course that's not the only reason, I don't want them because they bring back memories of the events that happened almost four months ago. The bombs, the deaths, the explosions, the yelling, screaming and the loss of the person I was certain I loved. These thoughts pass in and out of my head. Sometimes when this happens, I lose it. I try to force the thoughts out of my mind, but they don't go. Obviously they wont. Never. All I can do now is try to forget, if that is even possible. I leave the bathroom to go retrieve my bag. The train leaves in about fifteen minutes. I had been in the bathroom way too long. My mother is going to come along to see us all off at the same time, luckily enough Theria's train leaves at the same time as me and Peeta's. So we can all farewell each other before we go. We walk out the door; it's a bright sunny day today in District 4. There are no clouds in sight, so the sky is clear. The place is buzzing as usual, and the crisp smell of sea salt lingers in the air. It's been nice visiting here. District 4 has to be one of my favorite districts apart from District 12. Everything is so real here.

"Hey, looking forward to going to the Capitol?" Theria asks,

"I guess so, I just hope the people aren't as stupid as they were."

"Oh, I'm sure they will be."

"Seriously?"

"Well, it is the Capitol. There shouldn't be any sort of negotiation. They are crazy, full stop."

"True."

"-and I guess we can't blame them. Those people were raised like that." Peeta says.

"Yeah."

We come up to the train station. The trains are sitting in their spots waiting for passengers to get on.

"and I suppose this is where we depart." Theria says.

"Yeah. Hey, see you later Theria." I say, pulling her in for a short hug,

"Yup, and by the way. Don't get caught." She whispers into my ear. All I do is laugh. That joke will never get old. She pulls away from me.

"Goodbye Peeta." She says, she gives him a small hug, and he says bye in return,

"Have a nice time, working?" he says.

"Yeah sure, and you have fun partying it up and eating Capitol food in fancy getups."

In the result of that, everyone's laughing. If someone has to say something funny, it's Theria.

"Goodbye mom," I say, pulling her in for a hug and placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Bye, visit soon."

"Sure."

When we disperse, Theria is walking off to the direction of her train; and Peeta and I are walking in the direction of ours. My mother is waving. I wave one last time before I turn around. There is a lady, looks like some sort of attendant, she takes our bags and escorts us into the train. It's much like the trains that we traveled in during the victor's tour, same layout. Everything,

"Alright, so this is the room you're staying in." the attendant says, showing us a room that looks identical to the one I stayed in before.

"Thank-you." I say in reply.

"We should arrive in the Capitol in the morning, so do make yourself comfortable, we shall provide food at the necessary times, or whenever you feel like it."

"Thanks," I say, giving her a small smile.

The woman gives a quick nod, gives us the bags and exits the room,

"She sure looked nervous," I say,

"Yeah, must be her first time." He replies,

"Or she feels slightly intimidated that we played a major part in the rebellion and she feels like she needs to treat us with the, upmost respect."

"Yeah, or that."

I sigh and I sit down on the bed, Peeta joins me and takes my hand.

"I'm sure it will be fine, it has been four months. So I suppose everything is still fresh in everybody's minds"

"I just don't want people to be afraid of us."

* * *

**The chapter is done! Ermergerd. Capitol. Yay. (maybe)**

**Thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter! You guys are awesome.**

**Guess what….. Over 4,000 views. OMGOMGG Thank you :D **

**Catching Fire trailer, is coming out tomorrow, and I'm freaking out.**** Are you freaking out? ;D Next chapter out sooooooooon~**


	13. AN: Ideas?

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't had a chapter up. I've been busy AND I'm stuck.

If you have any ideas for the next chapter leave them in the reviews

and I will look into them as I have no ideas in my brain right now.

Thanks for all of your reviews so far you guys are awesome, thank you

for being patient. New chapter should be up soon enough once I get some

ideas,

Thank youuuuuuuuuuu :D

-KatnissFlower


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey guys... hehehe.. ****Sorry this took so long to write... I had HORRIBLE writers block! I hope you like it..!**

**Chapter 13: Capitol **

* * *

I take his words for it. I suppose everything is still in everyone's minds. The rebellion was a turnaround and it pinpointed a new era of safety. Everyone has a reason to be afraid of what we are capable of, but they need to know that we are normal people. We are just like every other person. I go to sleep thinking of everything that has happened ever since we got home, things were somewhat normal. Nightmares, hunting and sitting by the fire, emotionless. Peeta was there to bring me back to my senses. But it was almost three months not eating or sleeping, just sitting by the fire, watching it burn for what seemed like forever. I inch closer to Peeta. I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think about the times when I was on the brim of no life. I don't want to think about the Capitol then, this is the new Capitol. There is no Snow; I killed him. There is no Hunger Games either... _Just go to sleep._

* * *

I wake up to a sudden jolt in the train; there must have been some sort of fault in the tracks. I peer over to the window to see the familiar outline of the Capitol is drawing near.

"Hey, wake up." I murmur, he stirs,

"Huh?"

"Peeta, we should get up, we're going to be in the Capitol soon,"  
"Oh, sure."

I hear a knock on the door,

"Come in," I say,

The person opens the door, and it's the attendant.

"We should be arriving in the Capitol in half an hour, breakfast is ready too. Come out when you're ready."

"Thanks," I say, I give he a quick smile, and for once, she actually smiles back. Then closes the door again,

"Alright, let's get moving." I slap Peeta lightly on the arm.

I reach over to the table next to the bed, but accidently knocking a remote on the floor, causing the television across the room to turn on,

'_Hello and welcome to Good Morning Panem! The headlines today include: Brand new Capitol Couture, The election, and congratulations, nearly four months of freedom from the Hunger Games! Also, the former victors Katniss and Peeta are visiting the Capitol to attend the celebration! We may even get some interviews with them!'_

I fumble for the remote on the floor to switch off the television.

_Ugh_

"If they think they are going to interview us, it's a flat out no. No excuses."

"Katniss, we can't push them away forever-"

"-Yes we can. We came here to go to a stupid party. As soon as it's over we are leaving, despite what Plutarch or Effie want."

He sighs, "may as well get ready then."

* * *

After ten minutes of showering, getting into decent clothing, and also packing. We are out of our room sitting down eating the same kind of breakfast we had going to the Capitol for the first time. The food is still as rich as it was before. So many things are similar. Has the Capitol changed at all? I just hope it's different in some way.

"Ah! Here we are." The attendant says.

"What?"

I look out the window; we've arrived at the Capitol. I didn't even notice it. It looks the same really; it does look like the place in under construction though. I get an odd feeling. My head feels light. My eyes begin to play tricks on me. I can see explosions, I can hear screaming. I look down to my plate. I stare at the contents on it. The small berries, those look like… Nightlock? Everything is coming to life again. Or so I think. I shake my head shutting my eyes, as tight as they can go. I sit back on my chair and sit for a bit.

"Katniss? Are you feeling ok?"

I open my eyes and look outside. The Capitol is not exploding. I look down at my plate. There are two rolls sitting in the middle of it.

"Oh..." I squeak. _That's all I can get out? That's pathetic._

"It's nothing. I'm just tired."

He looks straight into my eyes; perhaps he's ensuring that I'm actually fine, that I'm not telling him any lies. I am but, I try not to look like it, I give him a reassuring smile, and that seems like it did the trick.

"Okay then." He smiles back and continues eating his breakfast.

I pick up and bite into one of my rolls.

* * *

We come to a stop in the train; it didn't take long to arrive. This train is like a teleporter of some sort after all. We have finished breakfast. And our attendant has retrieved our bags.

"Thank you very much for coming, it was a pleasure to have out aboard on this train." She says,

"Thank you." Peeta says, saving me from saying anything, but I say thank you anyways as she hands us our bags. The door opens and a bright light enters my eyes. I have to squint so my eyes can adjust. I see a woman, scurrying over, the high heels, the powdered-white skin, and the oddly perfect pink wig. Effie Trinket She comes over and embraces me, which takes me completely by surprise. I have never seen her hug anyone at all.

"Good to see you both!"

"You too," I say, not too enthusiastically though, this is Effie after all, may as well show her some 'manners'

* * *

**A/N: Please Read!**

**Thank you, all SO much for being SOOOO patient. OHMIGOSH That took me forever! Very sorry guys! I have a horrible writers block. I have some sort of idea as to what I'm writing now, so maybe these chapters will be up faster? I'm very sorry. I had exams and I had to study, then when I started studying my mind went into "kdsfksadf" So thank you all for being patient. :) OH and do tell me if you want me to write a short thing of the "normal" days. Like straight after the war when they just got home rather than 3 months, a build up perhaps to the "real or not real" thing. Please tell me if you'd like that! Thanks so much! :)**


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